Who Should I Start? Kaleb Johnson or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Saturday, September 27, 9:12 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that he is "pleased" with running back Kaleb Johnson's progress, and he believes the rookie has "positioned himself to be a contributor" this week against the Minnesota Vikings. He acknowledged that Johnson has had to earn his way back into the offense after a costly special teams miscue back in Week 2. The 22-year-old had just two carries through his first two games before being a healthy scratch last weekend. It sounds like he'll play this Sunday, but his exact role remains up in the air. He should continue to be stashed on the bench in redraft leagues with at least 14 teams, as well as all dynasty formats.

Friday, September 26, 9:24 PM

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (knee) practiced in full on Friday after three straight DNPs earlier in the week. Croskey-Merritt should be all good to go for Week 4's matchup in Atlanta with the opportunity to see more work. He led the backfield with a 41% snap share and 23% route share while tying Chris Rodriguez Jr. with two goal-line carries. Rodriguez surprisingly started the game for Washington and led the team with 11 carries, clearly indicating that he will have a role. Croskey-Merritt will need to continue to gain the coaching staff's trust in pass protection before earning a bigger workload. He did, however, have a few positive moments as a pass blocker last week against the Raiders and has been continuously praised by the staff. Atlanta has been tougher on running backs through three weeks, allowing the eighth fewest fantasy points per game at 11.3. That puts Croskey-Merritt in RB3 territory for Week 4.